The best and worst times to travel for Thanksgiving, according to AAA – The Boston Globe

Nearly 80 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving this year — an estimated record high, according to AAA.

“Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel, and this year we’re expecting to set new records across the board, from driving to flying and cruising,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement on Monday.

According to AAA’s projections, 79.9 million people will travel between Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Monday, Dec. 2, representing an increase of 1.7 million travelers compared to 2023, and 2 million more than in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of those travelers, more than 3.5 million will travel within New England, according to Jillian Young, director of public relations for AAA Northeast.

Notably, however, AAA’s travel forecast this year is the first to include the Tuesday before and the Monday following the holiday — dates that have been included to “better capture the flow of holiday travelers,” the organization said.

This year, an estimated 71.74 million people are expected to travel by car, while 5.84 million will travel by air, and another 2.28 million will take another mode of transportation, from buses to trains, to get to their holiday destinations, AAA said.

Generally speaking, the worst times to travel by car during Thanksgiving week are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, AAA said, citing metrics from INRIX, the transportation data and insights provider. Thanksgiving Day is considered the best time to hit the road, while returning drivers heading home on Sunday should try to head out early in the morning, AAA said.

Travelers making the trip back on Monday will see a mix of holiday travelers and workday commuters on the road.

“With a record number of travelers expected to be on the road, drivers should follow traffic apps and local news alerts to avoid major delays,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a statement.

“This is especially important for drivers in metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, LA, Seattle, and Washington, DC, where traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day,” Pishue said.

In the Boston area, AAA predicts peak holiday travel congestion will be on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at around 3:45 p.m. The drive from Boston to Portsmouth, N.H., on Interstate 95, for example is forecast to take just over two-and-a-half hours — which would be a 117 percent increase over the typical travel time between the two cities.

Tuesday afternoon will also be the worst for drivers looking to head south out of Boston, the INRIX data shows. At 4:30 p.m. that day, the drive to New York City is expected to take eight hours, while drives to Hyannis, Mass. and Providence, R.I.,are projected to 1.8 hours at 3:15 p.m. and 1.1 hours at 3:45 p.m., respectively.

INRIX forecasts the worst time to return to Boston from Hyannis will be 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29. The peak return time from Providence to Boston will come around 2:45 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, while the heaviest traffic returning from Portsmouth and New York will be on Monday, Dec. 2, at 6:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., respectively.

Here are the best and worst times to travel by car for Thanksgiving week, according to AAA:

Monday, Nov. 25

Worst: 1-5 p.m.

Best: Before 11 a.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 26

Worst: 1-7 p.m.

Best: Before 10 a.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 27

Worst: 1-5 p.m.

Best: Before 10 a.m.

Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28

Minimal traffic impact expected

Friday, Nov. 29

Worst: 7-10 a.m.

Best: After 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 30

Worst: 4-8 p.m.

Best: Before 1 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 1

Worst: noon to 6 p.m.

Best: Before 1 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 2

Worst: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Best: Before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.